1867 Indian Head Cent - RCD-1c-1867-02R & 03R Retained Cud

Description

The second retained cud documented for the 1867 Indian Head Cent, the RCD-1c-1867-02R captures a die rim fracture on one of the earlier issues in James B. Longacre's iconic design series. The 1867 Indian Head Cent was struck in copper-nickel composition — the same alloy used from 1860 through 1864 when the series transitioned to bronze — and copper-nickel's greater hardness compared to bronze created different die wear patterns and failure characteristics. A retained cud forms when a rim fragment fractures free of the working die but is held in place, producing coins with a raised plateau of metal that carries the original design, sometimes offset from its surroundings. The "02R" designation identifies this as the second cataloged example with the fragment retained. Attributed by Cuds on Coins, this variety documents die failure during the post-Civil War era of American coinage, when the Philadelphia Mint was the sole production facility for cents. The Indian Head Cent's design — featuring Liberty wearing a Native American headdress on the obverse and a wreath on the reverse — remained in production from 1859 through 1909, providing a fifty-year span of die varieties. Retained cuds from the 1860s represent the earlier portion of this extensive production history.

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